It's not about the Past
by Adea
Summary: What if another teacher had been part of Hogwarts staff ? AU story, set during Harry’s time at Hogwarts. SS/OC. Rated T to be safe for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**It's not about the past…**

What if another teacher had been part of Hogwarts staff ? AU story, set during Harry's time at Hogwarts.

Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter, or any of the characters that I've taken from JK Rowling's books (except for Urania).

Authors' note : English is not my mother language, so you might expect a few (many ?) mistakes. I'll write one chapter per book (and I'll write as I reread them, so it might take some time, as I don't have a lot of reading time right now).

* * *

**Chapter 1 : The Philosopher's Stone**

Urania came to Hogwarts, during the last days of August, to settle down and take her position as Divination Teacher. It was the second time in her life that she came here, the first being for her interview with the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress.

Neither of them seemed quite fond of Divination, and having briefly met the teacher she would be replacing, she understood why. Urania was to take the place of Sybill Trelawney, who had been there for 11 years. The first time she saw her, Urania wondered if she wasn't a joke. The woman was showing every possible cliché about divination in less than ten seconds. Urania had come across her in a hallway while leaving Dumbledore's office after her interview. She recognized her at first sight.

Urania : 'Excuse me ?'

Trelawney was busy drawing cards and muttering to herself, and was therefore startled to hear someone talk to her.

Trelawney : 'Yes ?'

Urania : 'You are Professor Trelawney right ?' Trelawney nodded, her face showing she obviously hadn't seen _that_ coming. 'I'm Urania Lindberg. I'm hoping to replace you as Divination Teacher !' she said, holding her hand for Trelawney to shake (which she eventually did, although reluctantly).

Urania could tell she didn't look like what Trelawney thought a Divination teacher should be.

Urania : 'I've been told you'd been here for 11 eleven years ?' Urania hoped that the other woman would finally start talking a bit.

Trelawney : 'That's right !' she answered proudly.

Urania : 'And, may I ask why you are leaving ?'

Trelawney : 'Oh, it is time for me to put my inner eye to better use ! You see, too few of these children could ever become true seers, and I don't want to waste my talent any longer. The comfort of the castle is appreciable, but I've never truly been respected as I should here…'

Urania : 'Oh… Well I hope you'll enjoy yourself in whatever it is that you are planning then.' She said politely before leaving Trelawney. As she was walking, she heard her comment another card (that apparently implied that Urania wouldn't get the job). She wasn't really worried though, she found Trelawney creepy, and arrogant. And why would someone with such confidence in her inner eye need to draw cards anyway ? Urania shook her head, and left the grounds, before apparating to her home. She was quite confident. Both Dumbledore and McGonagall seemed to have liked her, despite the subject she wished to teach, and after all, if someone like Trelawney could teach divination, why couldn't she ?

A few days later, she got a letter, from Albus Dumbledore, that informed her that she was the new Divination teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (which, by the way, sounded really cool), and now, there she was, walking towards the castle again, with a large trunk levitating behind her.

She stopped in the Entrance Hall and stopped to look at a map of the school Dumbledore sent with her letter. It took time to find her chambers on the map, and she spent several minutes, trying to figure out a way that would lead here there, unsuccessfully… She sighed loudly, and sat on her trunk to study her map thoroughly, but she was interrupted.

… : 'Wouldn't a proper chair be more comfortable ?'

Urania looked up, and saw a tall man, with black clothes, staring at her. His eyes too seemed black, and for a moment, she felt like a student being scolded.

Urania : 'Oh ! I'm actually trying to find my living area. I'm Urania Lindberg, I'm the new –'

Severus : 'Divination teacher… Yes, I've been told about your arrival… I don't understand why Dumbledore keeps giving this map… No one's ever been able to use it…'

Urania : 'I'm glad it's not just me then.' She said with a smile.

Severus : 'Would you like me to lead you there ? I believe there is enough time to get there before the staff meeting.' His expression was still stern, but she figured it was just the way he was.

Urania : 'I would love to, thank you.' she said, and levitated her trunk again with a flick of her wand. 'And would you mind telling me your name on the way ?' she added right after he starting walking.

She could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile appear on his face.

Severus : 'I am Severus Snape, I'm the Potions Master.'

Urania : 'Wow, that's a tough subject !'

Severus : 'Would you say Divination is an easy one ?' he looked at her, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't at all intimidated though, she was sort of amused by that mysterious man.

Urania : 'No, but most people seem to think so… I've never been taken very seriously actually. Divination is a subject even the best book can't help you in, unlike most other subjects. It doesn't truly fit in a school system, because you can't force divination, and therefore it's hard to grade…'

Snape didn't answer, but nodded politely. He was actually apart of those who didn't think Divination was worth studying. The rest of the trip was quite silent.

It had been a while since Hogwarts had welcomed a new teacher. The last one had been Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher. She, like Snape, wore essentially black clothes, and didn't smile much. She was far from ugly, but you couldn't honestly compare her with Urania, at least in Snape's eyes. Urania had bright green eyes, and long brown hair, tied into a bun that was so complicated that you could wonder how it even held. Her skin was smooth and pale, and she had a wonderful, glowing smile. She was probably in her mid thirties.

They slowly made their way up the seven floors of stairs, and Urania suddenly wished there were muggle elevators around. Climbing up was long… really long, and Snape's pace was hard to follow. But she was glad to have found a guide, so she didn't complain. As they were climbing, Urania watched the paintings decorating the walls, and the changing staircases above their heads, wondering what would happen if the one they were walking on started moving. As if on cue, she heard a strange noise, and felt the stairs start moving. She couldn't prevent a small yelp of surprise, as she grabbed the railing, staring around wildly. Snape turned around, with a small smirk.

Severus : 'I'm sorry, I should have warned you that the staircases tend to be a little mischievous.'

Urania : 'I was just wondering if the stairs actually waited for people to be away until they moved… apparently not !' She now had a hand over her chest, trying to steady her heartbeat. 'Aren't there ever any accidents with that kind of staircases ?'

Severus : 'A student fell down three years ago if I remember correctly…' he didn't really seem to care about the poor boy. 'But he was trying to walk on the railing when it happened…'

Urania : 'Was he injured ?'

Severus : 'Unfortunately, there was another moving staircase right under him, and wasn't hurt. Although hadn't I known him to be such a dunderhead already, I would have sworn there had been brain damage…'

Urania laughed at this comment. Snape seemed to be a very strict teacher, but she actually agreed with him. A kid had to be really stupid to actually consider standing on the railing of a staircase that could start moving at any time…

They finally reached the end of the staircase, and went through a wooden door, to a stone corridor. Before she knew it, they were climbing up stairs again. These were large spiral ones, leading to the top of the tower. They came by a silver ladder coming from a wooden trap door.

Severus : 'This is the students' access to your classroom. There is a more comfortable way that leads to the back of the classroom.'

He led her through a small door, and up one last dark and narrow staircase. There was a portrait of a young witch sitting in a meadow.

Witch : 'Do you have the password ?'

Urania : 'Oh, yes, Dumbledore put the temporary one on a piece of paper, I'm sure have it somewhere…' she fumbled through some of her belongings. 'Yes, here it is ! Babbitty Rabbitty.'

Snape raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore's choice, and saw that Urania seemed amused that the headmaster chose a tale character as temporary password. The little girl giggled, and then opened the passage. Snape nodded his head in a small bow to let Urania go in first, and followed her inside the divination classroom. He didn't come here often. Somehow, he had never really wished to visit Trelawney much. Among the many obvious reasons was the smell of the classroom. Trelawney liked to burns incense all the time, and entering the room was enough to give anyone a headache (even a Potions Master who spent most of his time breathing strange things). As soon as she set her trunk down, Urania took her wand and opened each window with one flick. Both of them finally breathed as fresh air filled the classroom.

Urania : 'Merlin's beard ! Did she suffocate her students like that all the time ?!'

Severus : 'I believe so…'

Urania started going through the shelves. There were crystal balls, books about astrology, dream interpretation, and others branches of divination. On one of the shelves, she found a note that said 'Buy your own mugs !'. She found the message quite short. She didn't mind bringing her own mugs for tea leaves reading, but the note could have been a little nicer… She showed Snape the message, and he didn't seem surprised. He shook his head and sighed. She put the note back down, and got her trunk to the living area behind the room. She came back waving one of her hands in front of her face.

Urania : 'It seems I'll have to buy all new furniture…'

Severus : 'Did she take that with her as well ?' he frowned. Teachers' rooms were usually furnished, and they were not supposed to take things away when they left.

Urania : 'I wish she had… But the smell is terrible. I'm going to have burn everything, I'm afraid.'

This time Snape laughed, she was sure of it. It wasn't a big laugh, and he returned to his usual stoic expression almost right away, but he did brighten up for a few seconds.

Urania : 'Perhaps should we head to the staff meeting ? I wouldn't want to be late on my first day.'

Snape nodded, and they went all the way down the stairs, while Urania tried to memorize the way to the staff room. They had a little conversation though, in which Snape answered Urania's questions about organization of the school year. When they entered the staff room, everyone seemed to be already there.

Dumbledore : 'Ah ! Miss Lindberg. I am glad to see you again.'

Urania : 'As am I, Professor !'

Dumbledore : 'Did the map I provided help you find your way to your chambers ?'

Urania : 'Not really, no…' She blushed a little, suddenly realized how bluntly she told him his map had been useless. 'But Professor Snape was kind enough to show me the way.'

Dumbledore : 'Ah… I still hope that one day, someone will find his way thanks to this map… that way they could explain to me how it works !'

Urania chuckled, and then, Dumbledore introduced her to the rest of the staff. Everyone seemed nice and welcoming. The meeting went fine, even though she didn't have much to say. The only problem that involved her was the divination textbooks.

Dumbledore : 'The pupils have already received their letters a few weeks ago, even before we hired you. So, we couldn't consult you about the textbooks you wish the students to have. We kept with the old one : _Unfogging the future_. Will that be all right ?'

Urania : 'I don't really like the approach of divination this book has, but I'll manage, don't worry. If needed, I'll just order other books from Flourish & Blotts during the school year.'

Dumbledore : 'Very well. Then, I believe this meeting is over. Does anybody have something to add ?'

They all shook their heads, and started leaving the room.

Dumbledore : 'Urania, there is a small matter I would like to discuss in private with you, if you don't mind.'

She remained behind with Dumbledore in the staff room.

Urania : 'Is something wrong.'

Dumbledore : 'Not at all. I just need to inform you, that later today, our Gamekeeper Hagrid will be bringing the Philosopher's Stone to Hogwarts, where it will be hidden and kept safe. There are already a number of enchantments protecting it's hiding place.'

Urania : 'The… the Philosopher's Stone ? Is it really going to be safe here ?'

Dumbledore : 'I hope so. Several of your colleagues have participated in its protection, by placing their own enchantments and spells. Neither of them is of course allowed to tell anyone about the enchantment they used to anyone, even each other. Perhaps you would have an idea of enchantment you could place yourself ?'

Urania : 'Well… not right now, but I could think about it.'

Dumbledore : 'I would be glad. But do not worry, it is already very secure with the present spells. I just wished everybody to be well informed. The third floor corridor leads to the hiding place. It is therefore forbidden to all students, and it would be best if teachers also stayed away.'

Urania : 'Of course. I will tell you if I find something to add to its protection.'

Dumbledore : 'Thank you. I will see you at dinner tonight then.'

Urania had absolutely no idea of how her divination talents could help defend the stone, and she quickly stopped trying to find anything. Instead, she took the rest of the day to visit Hogsmead, the nearby village, where only witches and wizards lived. The village was very cute, and luckily, she found a nice little store that sold mugs at a very reasonable price. By the time she brought them to her classroom, it was already dinner time.

So, she headed to the Great Hall, and found it easily. The four house tables were already there, and all of her colleagues were seated at the table at the far end of the room. Dumbledore's seat was in the middle obviously, with, on his left, McGonagall, Sprout, Kettleburn, Vector, Burbage and Hooch, and on his right Flitwick, Sinistra, Quirrel, Snape and a few feet away, Babbling and Hagrid. She smiled to the other teachers, and took her seat between Snape and Babbling.

It felt strange to eat in front of these empty tables, but she enjoyed the silence of the room. The next day, students would be arriving, and the noise would be terrible. She had an interesting conversation during dinner with Hagrid, who explained proudly how he raised the school thestrals and took care of the beasts in the forest. Snape did not take part in the conversation, but she wasn't surprised. Before she went to bed that night, she used a spell on her furniture, and the horrible smell finally disappeared.

She spent the next day preparing her classroom, using her wand to try to get rid of the smell of incense on every single object in the room. It took her almost two hours, but she was really happy to be able to breathe in her own classroom. She spent the afternoon getting acquainted with her colleagues. McGonagall turned out to be very nice even funny when she wasn't working. Flitwick was really adorable, and Sprout was just as nice. Hooch was nice too, but she talked about the national Quidditch Cup a lot, and Urania had never really been interested in sports. Quirrel was creepy. He was scared of his own shadow, and she couldn't help feeling nervous when he was around. Snape was… Snape. He never seemed to smile, laugh or anything, but he seemed to behave that way with everybody else, so she wasn't really offended about it. She didn't get to see the few other teachers, but she would have more than enough time during the school year.

* * *

She soon found herself seating at the teachers' table in the Great Hall, watching students walk strait to their house tables. As she expected, the students were very loud, until the arrival of the first years, following McGonagall. The Sorting Ceremony began, and Urania watched the petrified students get sorted. She had never seen that ceremony before. She was British, but her family moved to France when she was nine. Therefore, she attended to the Beauxbâtons Academy of Magic. Her mother had studied in Hogwarts though, and told Urania that she would probably have been a Ravenclaw. Each time a student was sorted, there was a roar of cheers and claps.

Everything went smoothly, until McGonagall called the name 'Potter, Harry'. Urania gasped, as did many students. She had of course heard of "the boy who lived", but she had no idea he would be coming to Hogwarts this year. Snape was apparently annoyed by people's reaction. It took a while, but the Hat finally sent Harry to Gryffindor. He probably got the loudest cheers of the whole ceremony. The other students followed, and the feast started after a few strange words from Dumbledore that intrigued Urania.

The food was wonderful, and before she knew it, Dumbledore was standing up for his proper speech.

Dumbledore : 'Ahem – just a few more words, now we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest in the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well. I have also been asked by Mr Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch. I must also tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.'

If that didn't keep the students away from the corridor, nothing would…

Dumbledore : 'And finally, I wish you all to welcome Professor Lindberg, who has kindly offered to take over the position of Divination teacher.'

Urania was surprised to see so much enthusiasm in the pupils cheers. She even noticed to red-haired twins on the Gryffindor table catcalling. She waved and nodded awkwardly, and then, students started going to their common rooms.

Snape : 'The students seem glad not to have to endure Trelawney anymore.'

Urania was shocked. Snape had just initiated a conversation.

Urania : 'Was she that bad ?'

Snape : 'Worse… I must say I am glad that she does not sit next to me anymore, although she only attended to very few feasts.'

Coming from Snape, Urania took that as a wonderful compliment. She laughed slightly, imagining Snape and Trelawney sitting together. She somehow doubted that they could have been friends.

Urania : 'Did she force you to talk ?'

Snape : 'No. She forced me to listen. She predicted my death four times, if I remember correctly. She also predicted a number of various injuries that would have driven Poppy mad…'

Urania : 'Don't worry, I don't make up death omens for a living. I'll just concentrate on teaching I guess.'

Snape : 'Wise choice… Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class early tomorrow.'

Snape left towards the dungeons before she even had a chance to reply, and she went to her own chambers, to get ready for her first classes of the next day.

Her first class was with the third years. They were discovering Divination, so she couldn't assess yet the way Trelawney had been teaching.

Urania : 'Good morning class.'

Some pupils murmured their answers, but most of them seemed to be quite nervous.

Urania : 'Does everybody have their copy of _Unfogging the Future_ ?' They all nodded. 'Then please put them away. I do not wish you to learn omens and interpretations by heart. Fate talks to us all in a personal way, and the whole point of studying divination is to find out how to understand the omens yourself. You must learn to rely on your instincts, and to explain your conclusions yourself, and not according to the rules of that kind of book.'

Fred (or is it George ?) : 'Professor, why did we have to bring the book then ?'

Urania : 'The start of term letters had to be sent before I was even hired. Therefore, they kept Professor Trelawney's book in the list. The book can be useful if you don't have a clue of how to read an omen, but it's not something that will make you grasp the concept of divination. It will be hard at first, but you must work hard and believe in yourselves. It is the key to understanding and mastering divination. I must also stress the fact that even to most respected seers make mistakes. We make assumptions more than predictions. This is why divination is not very trusted among all the subjects you are being taught. But I am here to help you along the way.'

The students were frowning, obviously wondering if they had been right to choose this subject.

Urania : 'All right, let's get started. You all have a cup of tea to drink. When you are finished, you will try to read the tea leaves of the person sitting in front of you.'

Urania walked between the tables, while they were trying to distinguish various forms in the mugs. She stopped at Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet's table.

Angelina : 'I think I see a horse here. So… you're going to go horseback riding ?' She guessed with a frown.

Urania : 'You must look further than the image you see. What do horses inspire you ? Do you like them, or do you fear them ?'

Angelina : 'I love horses ! I go horseback riding whenever I can during the holidays. I've never been happier than riding my horse !'

Urania : 'Then, perhaps your friend can expect happiness within the next few days. You see, you must find your own interpretations. Fate sent you a glimpse of your friends futures, for you only to read.'

She went on, explaining the pupils how to rely on their feelings, and preventing them from opening their books. The Weasley twins were by far the most enthusiast students when it came not to using the book. They were obviously having fun with their interpretations, but Urania actually found their approach quite interesting. They were instinctively using their own feelings and memories to read each other's tea leaves, even though they used every single one to make jokes.

Urania : 'You seem pretty natural in your interpretations. Although, I'm not sure all omens are supposed to be funny.' She said with a wink.

At the end of the lesson, Urania was quite proud of the class. They seemed genuinely interested by the subject.

Urania : 'For next week, I'd like you to right in details everything you've seen in your friend's cups, and to explain how you understood them and why. It doesn't need to exceed eight inches of parchment.' She added with a smile when a few students groaned, hearing they had homework.

Urania had more trouble with her other classes. They had gotten used to using their books, and didn't seem keen on working with their feelings, but they didn't have a choice anyway. It took them a few weeks to finally getting used to that approach, but in the end, they all agreed that Urania was a much better teacher than Trelawney.

She couldn't believe when Halloween came. She hadn't noticed that so many weeks had passed already. Hogwarts' Halloween feast was said to be even better then the start of term one. During the afternoon, she sat in the staff room, trying to get McGonagall to interpret one of her own dreams.

Minerva : 'I didn't even take divination as a pupil here… Besides, I never remember any of my dreams.' She sighed and sipped some of her tea.

Urania : 'All right, you can try mine then. I dreamt of a troll. It was trying to take a bath in the prefects' bathroom, but it couldn't find how to work the tap. It took its club, to hit everything around by revenge, but ended up knocking himself up with it. And then I saw Quirinus (Quirrel) walk in and faint at the sight of the troll…'

Minerva : 'Even a troll wouldn't be stupid enough to knock itself with its own club… You truly expect me to find an explanation to such a dream ?' She asked, slightly annoyed.

Urania : 'It would be fun to try.'

Minerva : 'I cannot think of anything.'

Urania : 'Well… not all dreams are prophetic, and I don't have any idea about this one either…'

Minerva : 'Then why are you asking me to try ?'

Urania : 'Because even the most skilled seers are sometimes unable to see the most obvious omens. A second opinion is always valuable.'

Minerva : 'If you need my opinion, you are wasting your time trying to find anything in this particular dream…'

Urania was grateful that Minerva actually restrained from saying she was wasting her time with Divination at all. She knew the Transfiguration teacher did not approve of Divination.

Urania : 'This time, I think I actually agree…'

The Halloween feast was, as expected, delicious. Urania proceeded into telling her dream to Severus, but he was as clueless as Minerva. He had never enjoyed Divination either. It was a surprise to all of them when Quirrel came running into the Great Hall.

Quirrel : 'TROLL, IN THE DUNGEON !' He screamed before collapsing her the ground.

Dumbledore gave his instructions to the teachers, and Urania followed the group. She was surprised not to find Severus among them though… When they reached the dungeons, they didn't even smell the troll. They decided to split up by groups of two, and inspect the castle thoroughly. Minerva quickly took Urania with her, and they left to explore their part of the castle.

Minerva : 'It seems that your dream was more prophetic than we thought ?'

Urania was surprised to see McGonagall accept the idea of a prophetic dream.

Urania : 'Apparently… but we haven't found a troll.'

Minerva : 'No, not yet, but be careful.' She was obviously concerned. They were walking along a long corridor, when Snape and Quirrel appeared at the other end. They were talking, but the conversation didn't seem pleasant to the poor Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Suddenly, they heard a girl screaming, somewhere far behind Minerva and Urania. They both turned around and started running, while Severus and Quirrel did the same, trying to catch up. They heard more screams and other noises, like stone being crushed, which wasn't at all a good sign. They followed the noise, and found harry Potter and Ron Weasley standing in some girls' bathroom beside a knocked out mountain troll. They were even more shocked when Hermione Granger got to her feet and explained she had tried to take on the troll herself, and probably would have died without the boys' help. Urania didn't quite believe the girl about coming to face the troll herself voluntarily, but remained silent. After sending the pupils to bed, McGonagall ran off the Dumbledore's office, and Quirrel offered to keep an eye on the troll. Snape reluctantly left him alone the bathroom with the troll, and walked back with Urania, who of course, noticed his limping.

Urania : 'What happened to your leg ?' She asked with concern.

Severus : 'Nothing important…'

Urania : 'You're bleeding, and limping. It's a bad injury Severus. You probably shouldn't be walking right now.' She didn't dare ask anymore about how he got injured, but she was too concerned to just drop the subject.

Severus : 'I have heeling ointments in my office. I assure you I will be fine. I must however apologize. I didn't believe your dream could have been of importance.'

Urania : 'Oh, please. I didn't even think there was anything prophetic in that dream myself. Don't worry about it.'

As they were leaving the corridor, they heard Quirrel cry in surprise when the troll groaned.

Urania : 'Are you sure it was wise to leave him alone with a troll ? He seems like he couldn't even fight a Flobberworm.'

Severus : 'Do not trust appearances…'

Urania : 'What do you mean ?'

Snape suddenly realized he had been too obvious in his distrust of Quirrel.

Severus : 'I just mean that sometimes looks can be deceiving.'

Urania : 'And, you are saying that Quirinus is not trustworthy ?'

Severus : 'I did not say that.'

Urania : 'No, but you obviously think so… And I'm wondering why.' They were now at the entrance of Snape's office. Urania hadn't even noticed the wasn't heading towards her room. She was too entranced in their conversation. She leaned against the wall by the door of his office. He understood that she was silently asking to come in and finish the conversation. He invited her to enter, and almost instantly cursed himself for doing it. Why couldn't he just be his own usual self with her ? Why couldn't he snap at her for being too bold and walk into his office alone ?

Severus : 'I will be back in a minute.' He left towards his private living area, probably to try and heal his leg, and came back quickly, though he was still limping.

Urania : 'So… Would you care to explain to me why you don't trust Professor Quirrel ?'

She had taken the liberty of seating in one of his armchairs, and he sat across from her.

Severus : 'I have reasons to believe that he is after the Philosopher's Stone.'

Urania : 'What ? What makes you think that –'

Severus : 'Last year, he went to Albania to learn more about vampires. He's started stuttering and being afraid of everything when he came back, last August. Then, before the start-of-term, Hagrid met him at The Leaky Cauldron. Hagrid took the Philosopher's Stone from a vault at Gringotts and brought it to Dumbledore. A little later that day, there was a break-in at Gringotts, aiming at the same vault. And tonight, I believe that he let the troll in as a diversion to get to the third floor and try to get to the stone. I preceded him there. I got injured thanks to the first protective measure. I can safely say that the Stone is well protected.'

Urania : 'You have to report him to Dumbledore !'

Severus : 'He knows. That's why he asked me to keep an eye on Quirrel. He considered firing him, but keeping him teaching here is the only way we can be sure he can't touch the Stone.'

Urania : 'Wow… at least now I understanding that bad feeling I get every time he's around…'

Severus : 'You cannot tell anyone about any of this, and you must act completely normal around Quirrel.' He sighed and dropped his gaze to the floor 'I shouldn't have told you…'

Urania : 'Then, why did you ?'

Severus : 'I don't know… I can't seem to snap at you as I would with anybody else…' Merlin it happened again…

Urania : 'Well, I'm glad. I hate it when people snap at me.' She said with a wink, before getting up. 'Thanks for sharing, but I should go, I have an early class tomorrow. Have a good night.'

Severus kept staring at the door after she left. That woman was intriguing. Why couldn't he just be normal around her ? Or was this who he really was, under the shell he built himself over the years ?

He felt strange now that she had gone… almost like he missed her. He was relieved to be alone though. He had the impression she could read her thoughts, even if he knew she wasn't performing legilimency. He was skilled enough against such magic. She just seemed to notice things, without even trying. She asked just the right questions, and he couldn't help but answer…

However, he felt a little better, having just shared his doubts to another member of the staff, other than Dumbledore. But he still wondered if telling her wouldn't put her in danger… He sincerely hoped that it wouldn't, that she would keep acting normally with Quirrel.

When he thought about her dream, he wondered if he hadn't been neglecting Divination too much. He hadn't really seen the point of that subject, but he couldn't possibly deny the existence of prophetic dreams anymore. Her dream was too close to reality to be a coincidence with the evening's events. It was a strange dream, very strange even, but it was still impressive.

Finally, he went to bed, trying to clear his mind from the night's events, and especially of the moments spent his in office with the beautiful teacher.

* * *

During the next few weeks, both of them grew closer and closer. They took walks by the lake in the evenings, when students weren't allowed outside anymore. They talked a lot. Snape was actually surprised that he could talk so much with her. He was usually very quiet. Their discussions were pleasant, and both of them enjoyed these little breaks. They had never talked about each other's past though. Snape was curious to know more about her, but he was afraid that she would ask about his in return, and he didn't really want her to know… not yet…

One particular night, he had trouble keeping the conversation away from his past…

Urania : 'Hey, I've been wondering… Isn't it strange to teach here, since you've been a pupil there as well ?'

Severus : 'At first, it was… But not anymore. Besides, most of the faculty attended here as well.'

Urania : 'Yes but you're younger than most of them. I'm also wondering why you came here to teach. Teaching doesn't seem to be your passion.' She grinned a little so he knew she wasn't judging him, or his attitude with students.

Severus : 'Teaching first years is definitely not my passion. But NEWT level classes are very interesting. The students who choose Potions at that level are very skilled and interested in the subject. They do their homework, and they ask relevant questions.'

She nodded. She had noticed the same in her classes. Most third years had chosen Divination because they didn't want to take Arithmancy or Ancient Runes. But sixth et seventh years were very pleasant students, though they were few.

Severus : 'What about you ? Divination is not a common skill in our world. And I'm also curious about where you attended Magical Education ? I think I would have remembered you if you had studied at Hogwarts.'

Urania : 'Well, my mother taught me everything I know today about Divination. I went to Beauxbâtons Academy, in France, and it isn't taught there. Madame Maxime didn't believe in Divination at all. At school, I was rather good in Charms and Transfiguration. I liked Magical Healing as well. I even considered becoming a healer until my 6th year, when I knew I wanted to spend my life mastering Divination. I did fine in Potions, but I needed twice as much work as the other subjects… And I was really lame in Defense and Dueling. My mother taught me the Art of Divination during summers, and after I graduated. I've been working in random places while trying to improve my Divination skills. It's very hard to find a job that actually involves Divination. I feel very lucky to be here.'

Severus : 'We are…'

They sat in silence on the grass for a few minutes. Urania watched the starry sky, when Severus's voice startled her out of her thoughts.

Severus : 'Are you planning on coming to the Quidditch match tomorrow ?'

Urania : 'I didn't even know there was Quidditch tomorrow. I'm not a big sports fan, so I didn't pay attention. What teams are playing ?'

Severus : 'Slytherin against Gryffindor. Would you like to accompany me ?'

Urania : 'Of course. Does it matter if I don't support Slytherin ?'

Severus : 'Not at all. Just try not to wear scarlet and gold, and not to scream _Go Gryffindor_ into my ears.'

Urania : 'Actually, I'm not planning on supporting any team. I don't belong to any house, so I'll just be neutral.'

Severus : 'As you wish.'

The next day, they met in the Great Hall at lunch, and headed to the Quidditch field. They sat together, along with most other teachers, and watched the game silently. Urania tried hard not to laugh at Lee Jordan's comments, especially when they were about the Slytherin team's attempts of cheating. All players seemed very determined, and was surprised to find the game so interesting. But she sensed something was wrong when Harry Potter's broomstick starting going berserk. It seemed to be trying to throw Harry off. She saw Severus glance at Quirrel behind them, and stare at Harry, muttering spells she had never heard. She turned around and noticed that Quirrel was also muttering things she couldn't hear. She was about to get up, and stop him somehow, but Severus seemed to have noticed, though he didn't get his eyes off Harry. He caught her hand and held her near him. She stayed, since she had no choice, and hoped that Severus's spell would be more powerful than Quirrel's. Suddenly, Severus's cloak caught fire on the opposite side of her. Both Severus and Quirrel lost their eye contact, and Harry was able to get back on his broomstick. A few minutes later, he won the game, almost swallowing the snitch.

Urania was think about clapping her hands to congratulate the winners, when she realized that Severus's hand was still clutching hers. He noticed as well, and they both withdrew quickly, sharing an awkward glance. Severus seemed to be in a terrible mood. Anyone would have thought it was because of the fact that his team lost (to Gryffindor…), but Urania knew there was more to it. Quirrel had tried to attack a student, in front of the whole school… Urania and Severus went to the lake instinctively. They waited until they were far enough for students to talk.

Urania : 'Why didn't you let me stop him ? Breaking his eye contact would have been much faster.'

Severus : 'You can't let him know that you suspect him of anything. He knows I don't trust him already. That's enough !'

Urania : 'What was he doing attacking a student anyway ? I thought he just wanted the stone.'

Severus : 'That's what I am worried about… He might be seeking more than the stone…'

Urania : 'Care to share your ideas ?'

Severus sighed. He did have an idea, but he feared saying it aloud would make it more true.

Severus : 'I can't think of many people who would want revenge on Potter…'

Urania : 'What ? You think he's a… a Death Eater ? Surely Dumbledore would have made sure he wasn't before hiring him, wouldn't he ?'

Severus was very uncomfortable with this conversation, having been a Death Eater himself.

Severus : 'No, he is not a Death Eater. But he still might have been among the Dark Lord's followers. Making Potter fall off his broomstick would have probably killed him, and it would have seemed like an accident…'

Urania : 'You have to report him to Dumbledore. He can't keep him after that !'

Severus : 'Quirrel won't do anything against Potter with other students around. He can't do anything on the castle without being noticed. Until the next time Gryffindor plays, Potter will be safe. I'll keep watching Quirrel, and make sure he doesn't try anything to get the stone…'

Urania : 'I still can't believe Dumbledore would hire one of You-Know-Who's followers. Especially in Defense against the Dark Arts ! I mean who knows what he's trying to teach them ?'

Severus felt a suddenly guilty. He had been hired as a former Death Eater, he had been one of Voldemort's most loyal servants. Many people knew about his past, but she apparently wasn't even suspecting anything, and he couldn't stand avoiding the subject anymore.

Snape sat on the ground, and she sat next to him by the lake.

Severus : 'He isn't known as a person who has been supporting the Dark Lord...' There was an awkward pause until he found the courage to continue. 'Whereas I am…' He wasn't sure what made him say it. He wanted to be honest with her perhaps. She shared may things with him, and he felt that not telling her the truth was like betraying her.

Urania : 'What do you mean ?' She was frowning, and obviously worried. She tried to search his eyes for reassurance, but he kept staring at the water.

Severus : 'I must tell you… It's not a big secret among the staff here, but you don't seem to know… In my youth, I was… I was a Death Eater.' She didn't react. She was too stunned to say anything.

Then, he started telling her about his time at Hogwarts, and even mentioned his feelings for Lily, and the way Potter and Black treated him. He knew those weren't excuses. There couldn't be any excuses, but he didn't know what else to say. So he explained how he regretted everything. How Voldemort had thought Harry Potter was the baby he would one day mark as his equal. How he had turned to spy for the other side ever since, and how he deeply regretted ever joining Voldemort.

She hadn't said a word while he talked, and he had barely looked at her. He felt quite relieved when he was finished, though he was anxious to find out her reaction.

She was shocked. She was more than shocked actually. For the first time since she had met him, she thought that Severus might have been joking. But of course he wasn't… he told her the post painful story she had ever heard.

Urania : 'I… I don't know what to say.' It was the truth. She hadn't a clue. She was torn between the thought that he had been a Death Eater, and the thought that he was now fighting for the right side. 'I… Thank you, for telling me. I really appreciate. But, I think I need some time alone. It's a little more than I can take right now… I'm sorry.'

She didn't wait for an answer an left towards the castle, and went straight to her bed. She didn't sleep though. She couldn't. She had to many things to think about right now. Fortunately, there were no classes the next day.

Severus didn't sleep either. In fact, he didn't even move from the edge of the lake. The night had fallen long ago, and they had missed the evening meal. He wasn't hungry. He was freezing, but he didn't care. Moving seemed to hard at the moment. He stayed outside and eventually watched the sunrise. He didn't really appreciate its beauty. He barely realized it was morning already. He was thinking about Urania. He knew he had done the right thing. She was bound to find out one day, and telling her himself was the best way. He was still scared of the way she would eventually react. He didn't know why… Well, he did. He just couldn't admit it. He was still holding Lily in his heart, and he wouldn't have thought there had been any room for somebody else. He had found a friend, and probably more. Hopefully more…

… : 'Good morning.' A soft voice called. He turned around instantly to see Urania standing behind him. She hadn't changed her clothes, and she seemed tired.

Urania : 'I thought you'd have at least gone back to your office.'

Severus : 'I didn't realize it was morning already…'

Urania : 'The sunlight could have been a hint.' She said mockingly, as she sat next to him.

She was joking, and sitting very, very, very close to him. Those were good signs. He just smiled slightly and let out a small laugh.

Severus : 'I was too busy thinking, I presume.' He looked at the lake again, probably feeling uncomfortable.

Urania : 'Well, I've been thinking a lot too. And, again I have to thank you, for telling me all of this. I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been for you. And I'm happy that you trust me enough to share this with me.' She took hold of one of his hands gently. 'And I want you to know that I also trust you. Whatever you may have done in the past, I trust you now.'

He turned to look into her eyes. She was smiling, and he had never found her so beautiful. Without thinking, he leaned in to brush his lips against hers. He realized what he was doing when he felt her kiss him back. This was wrong, she obviously didn't fully understand who he was… He pulled away, and stood up to put some distance between them.

Severus : 'I can't…'

Urania : 'You seemed pretty capable to me.'

Severus : 'You don't want to be involved with someone like me…'

Urania : 'You mean someone who's brave, selfless, talented, and not to mention incredibly sexy ?' She was now standing up to face him.

Severus : 'You don't want to get involved with someone with a past such as mine.' He stared into her eyes. He was ashamed of his previous life, and he didn't want her to suffer from his mistakes.

Urania : 'I don't care. It's not about the past Severus. This is about present time.' Then, with a little grin, she added 'And hopefully about the future.'

She stood on her toes to kiss him, and this time he didn't pull away.

They arrived at breakfast separately that morning. They had both been missing from supper the previous evening, and didn't want to raise suspicion. They were among the first teachers there. Therefore, they had a few minutes to talk rather privately, until some of their colleagues arrived.

Minerva : 'Urania, Severus, Good morning.'

Urania : 'Hello Minerva.'

Severus just nodded in response.

Minerva : 'I noticed you were absent yesterday evening ?'

Severus : 'Yes. I have a lot of work to catch up on. I was grading papers, and I didn't notice how late it was until the meal was already long over.'

Urania : 'I personally wasn't feeling very well. I stayed in my room, I wasn't very hungry.'

Minerva : 'Well, you certainly look tired. You should rest today. As a matter of fact, you seem quite tired as well Severus.'

Severus : 'As I said, I worked quite late.'

Minerva gave them a little smirk, and a glance that seemed to say 'Do you honestly think I'm going to believe that ?'. She was polite enough not to tease them any longer though.

Dumbledore also seemed to have noticed, as he smirked as he looked at them. He didn't mention anything though. Severus and Urania went separate ways after breakfast. Severus hadn't been lying when he said he had a lot of work to do, and Urania also had a few papers to grade. Neither of them could concentrate properly, so they spent almost the whole day grading their papers. They finally went for their evening walk by the lake. They walked silently, holding hands, for a few minutes, and said goodbye. Both were exhausted, and the time, they slept very, very well.

* * *

The next few weeks were surprisingly quiet. Urania and Severus still walked together in the evenings, and they were a little worried of how "well" Quirrel was behaving. He didn't seem to have tried anything against the stone, or against Harry. They were afraid of when he might make his move.

The end of year exams, along with the OWL and NEWT evaluations, seemed to go quite well. Urania was rather proud of her students and Severus admitted that some papers were less catastrophic than usual. They enjoyed their walks by the lake even more now they didn't have classes or papers to grade.

Urania : 'I can't believe that the school year's already over.'

He gently squeezed her hand, which he was holding since they started walking, and cast a glance in her direction. She was gazing at the starry sky and smiling. He was about the answer, when he felt some sort of twitch on his left forearm. He dropped her hand immediately, and slid his sleeve up. His faded dark mark seemed normal. In fact, the twitching had only lasted a few seconds. He sincerely hoped it was a good sign.

Urania : 'What's going on ?' She asked, concerned by the look of alarm on his face. She was now facing him.

Severus : 'I don't know. I must go to the castle. Stay here.'

He ran towards the castle without waiting for an answer. He didn't notice that she followed him. She was slower though, since she was wearing a dress and shoes that weren't nearly made for running. He was heading for the third floor corridor. She almost caught up with him, thanks to a staircase that gave her a shortcut. They were then both running down the corridor, and had almost reached Fluffy's room when Dumbledore came out, with Harry in his arms.

Dumbledore : 'Severus ! Please take Harry to the hospital wing. You are in a better shape than I am.'

Severus took Harry's limp body in his arms, trying to hide his reluctance.

Severus : 'What has happened ?'

Dumbledore : 'He prevented Quirrel from stealing the stone.'

Both Severus and Urania seemed shocked.

Dumbledore : 'I will explain the details later.'

Severus nodded and hurried to the hospital wing right away.

Dumbledore : 'Urania, would you please go and tell Minerva to come to the hospital wing as well ? And please tell her to bring Miss Granger and Mr Weasley, they are Harry's friends, they are probably still awake in their common room.'

Urania : 'Very well.' She nodded, and headed for Minerva's room. McGonagall was very shocked to hear Urania's small tale. Harry, Ron and Hermione had warned her earlier that day that someone would try and steal the stone. Refusing to take their suspicions seriously, she had led them to go after the thief themselves. She felt a combination of guilt and concern. She went straight to fetch Hermione and Ron, who were indeed waiting nervously in the common room. They thought McGonagall would tell them off for being up so late, even in the common room, but instead, she asked them to come along.

They all found Dumbledore, Snape, Sprout and Flitwick in the hospital wing. They were apparently listening to Madam Pomfrey, who commented on Harry's condition. They rushed to get near them. Ron and Hermione went straight to Harry's bed.

Everyone was relieved to hear that Harry would be fine. Madam Pomfrey had given him a powerful potion, that had they unfortunate side effect of knocking people out for several days. Ron and Hermione had to tell their teachers the whole tale of how they found out about the Stone, and how they actually managed to make their way through the protections. Snape was actually a little impressed with Hermione, who had successfully solved his enigma. He didn't show it though. They tried not to mention Hagrid's slips too much, and they also didn't mention that they believed all along that Snape was the one who was after the Stone. Once their story was over, Madam Pomfrey started pushing them towards empty beds.

Poppy : 'I'm keeping both of you here for the night ! You will need a slight check up.'

They protested, saying they were fine, but the matron was very determined.

Poppy : 'Oh no, you are not fine until I say that you are ! You both encountered a three-headed dog and a devil snare. _You_ were knock out by a giant chess piece' She said pointing at Ron, before turning to face Hermione 'And _you_ have drunk a mouthful of a Firefreeze Potion !'

Hermione and Ron couldn't protest anymore. When she put it like that, they couldn't pretend that a checkup would be a bad idea.

Poppy : 'Besides, after such an eventful night, you will need a good sleeping draught.'

The matron ushered the teachers out of the hospital wing, to take care of her patients in a quiet atmosphere. Dumbledore asked them all to join him in his office. The teachers' discussion took quite a long time. It was a big shock for all of them to hear that Quirrel had been sharing his body with Lord Voldemort during the whole year. They all left the office in the middle of the night, and Severus walked Urania to her chambers.

Urania : 'Wow. I didn't think first years would manage to make their way to the Stone…'

Severus didn't answer. She knew he didn't like the three children very much, so she understood.

Urania : 'I still can't believe that You-Know-Who was in the castle with us all this time…'

This time she hoped he would at least nod. He could even have a few comments about the subject, but again he didn't react.

Urania : 'Are you alright ?' She was growing concerned with his lack of response. Suddenly, he stopped in the middle of a fifth floor stair case to face her. She faced him to, obviously confused.

Severus : 'I told you to stay where you were.' He said calmly, yet she could sense anger in his words.

Urania : 'Yes, you did. But did you honestly expect me to stay put when you started running off to the castle like that ?'

Severus : 'I expect you to trust my advice when it comes to your safety.' There was more than anger in his eyes. There was also a certain amount of worry.

Urania sighed. He had good intentions, but she hadn't really been keen on hiding while others were in danger.

Urania : 'Severus. I appreciate your concern, really, but I too am concerned about _your_ safety. I followed you because I was worried. I needed to know where you were, and make sure that you were safe. I… I couldn't help it.'

She was looking in his eyes too, but now she couldn't read his feelings anymore. They stared at each other for several seconds, and then, Severus crushed his lips to Urania's hungrily. He pushed her until she was pressed against the staircase's railing. She responded just as hungrily. They had never kissed so desperately, and neither of them noticed when the staircase they started moving, and when Urania ended up pressed against the wall.

Unfortunately, a nearby portrait seemed not to enjoy their current occupation.

Portrait : 'Would you please stop doing this here ?! There are children in the room, for Merlin's sake !'

They both jerked apart. Severus was glaring at the portrait, whose occupant was drifting back to sleep, while Urania seemed half-amused and half-embarrassed. She took his hand, and tugged on it, to guide him to her room. The journey was long, with all the stairs they had to climb. The fact that they started kissing again as soon as there were no paintings around didn't help either. When they finally reached Urania's room, the moon was still spreading a dim light into the room. They knew the sun would be rising in a couple of hours, but for some reason, they didn't spend much time sleeping.

The next day, they were indeed very tired. They woke up so late, that they had already missed breakfast. Hopefully, other teachers would have slept in too. Since there were no classes, Severus managed to leave Urania's room without being noticed (he almost never set foot in the Divination tower when Trelawney was teaching).

* * *

Before they knew it, pupils were back on the Hogwarts Express, and teachers were packing for the summer. Urania et Severus were enjoying one on their last walks around the lake.

Urania : 'Would you like to come visit me during the summer ?'

Urania was a little nervous, though she hid it well. She and Severus had never really talked about their relationship, nor had they mentioned seeing each other outside of school. But she knew she didn't want to spend two month away from him, and she hoped he felt the same.

Severus : 'I would love to. Where do you live ?'

Urania : 'I have a flat in London. It's in the Wizards' side of London actually. I'm not directly connected to the Floo Network, but I'm not far for Diagon Alley. My address is 24 Mad Mermaid Street. You can come any time you want.'

Severus merely nodded. He was pleased that she had invited him, but he had too much on his mind at the moment.

Urania : 'Are you OK ?'

Severus : 'I am fine…' Severus stopped and sat down on the grass. Urania joined him silently. 'I just… I can't stop thinking about the fact that the Dark Lord was in this school the whole year. He got very close to stealing the Stone and rising again…'

Urania : 'He didn't though. That's what matters !'

Severus : 'I know… But it's still a proof that he's trying to get back to power. He will not stop Urania. He'll find more ways. And one day, he might be back…' He sighed loudly.

Urania : 'You knew all along he would probably be back one day.'

Severus : 'Yet I hoped it wouldn't truly happen. It feels real now. Soon, we might be back at war.'

Urania : 'If… if he comes back… will you go back to him ?' By the way he glanced at her, she knew she phrased it wrong. 'I meant are you going to go back to him and spy for our side ?'

Severus : 'I believe so…' He sighed again. 'I… I don't want to put you in danger.' He got up, and started to walk away. She was startled for a second, but she followed and caught up with him. She grabbed his elbow, and forced him to stop.

Urania : 'What ? What are you talking about ?'

Severus : 'If the Dark Lord comes to power again, I will be in a dangerous position. And being with me could put you in danger as well. I couldn't stand –'

She knew where he was going. He still felt guilty about Lily's death. How could he not ? He gave Voldemort the information that made him want to go after Harry. But now, he was afraid that she suffered or died because of him.

Urania : 'Severus. Stop. You don't have to stop living now just because of what might happen in the future. I know what I'm talking about. Besides, I'm a big girl. I know who you used to be, and I'm well aware of what you will have to do if You-Know-Who comes back.'

Severus : 'You don't understand…' He seemed a little annoyed.

Urania : 'Explain to me, then !'

Severus : 'When the Dark Lord comes back, should he know I share a relationship with you, he could expect you to join his ranks… He could use you to get to me, and I could not stand to be the cause of…' He was almost yelling now, and he could not finish his sentence.

Urania felt tears sting her eyes, but she didn't let them flow. She needed to show her strength right now.

Urania : 'Severus…' She whispered. 'It doesn't mean we have to stop seeing each other… We can hide our relationship. We weren't planning on displaying our affection too much, were we ?' She grabbed his hands, and squeezed them gently. 'I love you too much to be apart from you.'

His eyes widened, and she suddenly realized she had probably said too much. She hadn't been thinking, and it slipped out naturally. He was now looking into her eyes, and appeared to be stunned. His eyes had softened, and he didn't seem to want to run away anymore. But his lack of reaction was starting to drive her mad. She thought that if words didn't work, perhaps actions would. She dropped his hands, and placed her own on his neck, to pull him for a soft, tender kiss. This time he responded. The kiss grew more passionate every second, and they finally had to pull away for air. They rested their foreheads together, breathing deeply, and he looked into her eyes again.

Severus : 'I love you too.' He said simply. Her heart skipped a beat. She hadn't expected him to actually return her feelings, not yet. This time, she couldn't stop one single tear to escape her eye.

Urania : 'Then don't leave me.' She pulled him into a tight hug, and he encircled her with his arms. His lips rested by the crook of her neck, which he kissed quickly.

Severus : 'I won't.' He whispered.

* * *

Here goes the first chapter ! I hope you liked it. The next one will take place during Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets of course.

Please review, I'd like to get your opinions !


	2. Chapter 2

**It's not about the past…**

What if another teacher had been part of Hogwarts staff ? AU story, set during Harry's time at Hogwarts.

Disclaimer : I don't own Harry Potter, or any of the characters that I've taken from JK Rowling's books (except for Urania).

Authors' note : English is not my mother language, so you might expect a few (many ?) mistakes. I'll write one chapter per book (and I'll write as I reread them, so it might take some time, as I don't have a lot of reading time right now).

This chapter has taken quite long (especially with my exams, that just ended today), but it's finally up ! There might be a few incoherences as this chapter had given me quite a lot of trouble, so please, tell me if there are ;)

* * *

**Chapter 2 : The Chamber of Secrets**

After such an eventful year, Urania was enjoying her holiday. She usually didn't like time off very much. The truth is that she hated being alone at her flat. She lived far away from her family. Her parents still lived in France. They were the owners of a Wizard Hotel in France, and summer was their busiest time ever. So, in summer, she usually preferred to work too.

But this time, she wasn't alone. Severus had indeed came and visited her. He didn't like his own house much, and Urania was the one person whose company he truly enjoyed. He came to her flat near Diagon Alley at the end of the first week of July, and he seemed to be willing to spend most of the summer there. Urania knew he didn't like his house, but she didn't know why. And she really wanted to get into his world for a change.

Urania : 'Will I get to see your house some day ?'

Severus : 'I didn't know you wanted to.' He hadn't really answered, but at least he didn't avoid the subject too much. He even lowered is edition of _The Practical Potioneer _to look at her.

Urania : 'Well, I do ! I'd like to know what your world is like.'

Severus : 'This house is not my world. It belonged to my parents. I never changed anything.'

Urania : 'You didn't decorate or anything ?'

Severus : 'I only spend two month a year there. I don't see the point of going through all that trouble for such a small amount of time.'

Urania : 'Well, I'd still like to know the house you live in. We don't have to stay long. Just a little tour.'

Severus : 'A simple tour would be very short indeed.'

Urania : 'Let's go then ! It'll keep us busy for a bit.'

Severus sighed. He knew she would insist like a little girl until he said yes. It was probably better to get this over with then.

Severus : 'Fine. We can apparate there.' He put his magazine on the coffee table, and got up. He held his arm for Urania to hold on to. She seemed surprised to see him surrender so fast, but she hurried to his side and grabbed his arm.

They apparated by a river, near several rows of houses. The river had a horrible smell, that caused Urania to hide her nose with her hand.

Urania : 'Merlin, that smells awful !'

Severus : 'The smell will lessen as we get farther.'

He led her to his house, which they reached in a few small minutes. The neighborhood wasn't very welcoming. Although it was summer, and the weather was sunny, the streets seemed somewhat cold and dark. He allowed her to enter the house first. She was surprised to find it so clean - he probably used dust-repellent spells. The house was dark, and small. She couldn't believe that he grew up there. It was no surprise that he turned out to be so cold and dark himself…

The house was too small for him to have had brothers or sisters, which also explained his social behavior. He was probably used to being alone and didn't seek people's company too much. He showed her the narrow sitting room, which had a door that led to the smallest kitchen she had ever seen. On the first floors were two bedrooms, which she assumed were his childhood room, and his parents' former room. He lacked space so much that he had bookcases had the back of his doors.

They didn't spend much time there. Severus didn't seem too eager to stay, and Urania felt his own discomfort spread to her. They both apparated to Diagon Alley separately, since during the summer, they were more than likely to come across Hogwarts Students. Severus had insisted to place defensive spells on Urania's flat, so they couldn't apparate back in directly. Urania was very surprised to see the crowd standing in Flourish and Blotts, and decided to stop there a few minutes.

Apparently, someone named Gilderoy Lockhart (who seemed pretty popular with most women) was selling signed copies and his brand new autobiography. He had apparently fought terrible enemies, and Urania couldn't help but wonder why she had never heard of this man before. Once in the shop, she noticed there were indeed a certain amount of Hogwarts pupils in there. She distinctly recognized Harry Potter, and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, the first years stopped Quirrel at the end of the previous term. Poor Harry didn't manage to hide from Lockhart, who seemed to enjoy a little extra publicity. She also noticed Fred and George Weasley, mischievous twins who were about to attend their fourth year. The little girl with flaming red hair probably was another Weasley sibling. Her jaw dropped when she heard Lockhart announce that he would be taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. She couldn't even imagine that man holding a wand properly. She hoped that he would be less arrogant at school than he seemed now, but she didn't have a good impression about that.

… : 'Hello Professor !' came a pompous voice behind her. It was Percy Weasley, the oldest Weasley child still at Hogwarts.

Urania : 'Oh, hello Percy. Congratulations on your OWLs, I heard you got twelve, didn't you ?' Urania immediately knew she shouldn't have started that conversation. Percy was ambitious, and didn't miss a chance to remind people how brilliant and important he thought he was.

Percy : 'I did ! I got nine "O"s and three "E"s. I would have enjoyed twelve "O"s, but I believe this is still quite satisfactory.'

Urania : 'Almost ready to get back to classes I see ?' she nodded towards the pile of books he carried. She was hoping that the conversation would not be about OWLs anymore.

Percy : 'Oh most ready Professor ! Although I am afraid I will not be taking Divination in my NEWT classes. It was a difficult decision to make, especially since I got "Exceeds Expectations" in this subject, but as I intend to work at the Ministry of Magic after graduating, I had to drop a few subjects to concentrate on the more important ones.'

Urania : 'I understand, don't worry.' She was actually quite relieved that he wouldn't be following her NEWT classes. Percy was a hard worker, but he always needed to be right, which wasn't good at all to learn Divination. 'Well, enjoy the end of the summer.'

Percy : 'Thank you Professor.'

Urania quickly left the shop, completely unaware of the fight that occurred a few minutes later. She recognized a few others faces from Hogwarts as she made her way past the shops towards her flat, where Severus was back, reading his magazine.

Urania : 'Do you know who's going to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year ?'

Severus : 'Lockhart…' Severus obviously hated the man. He put his magazine on the table and sat back into his chair 'Dumbledore told me a few days ago. He was the only one who applied apparently… I told him I would be more than willing to take the job, but he denied again.'

Urania : 'You know why he does.'

Severus : 'I do… but the idea of him hiring that man instead is still insulting.'

Urania : 'This year will be fun if we have to see him every day. I just saw him for five minutes and I can't stand him already.'

Severus got up and encircled her with his arms.

Severus : 'Good. I could not stand to be around one of his groupies.'

Urania laughed heartily and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Urania : 'Then, try to avoid all the girls in Hogwarts this year, except for me of course.'

Severus : 'That won't be a problem.'

* * *

The summer seemed to have flown. The end of August came faster than they would have thought, and they were soon back at Hogwarts. Urania found her own way to her room, and Severus also showed her his in the dungeons. They knew they couldn't spend all their nights apart. It would be easier for Urania to find an excuse for being in the dungeons. She could just say that she needed a Potion of some kind. Severus's presence in the Divination tower was on the other hand, harder to explain.

Urania was happy to be back, and to catch up with her colleagues. However, the first staff meeting was horrible. Lockhart kept interrupting everyone, even Dumbledore, and seemed ten times more arrogant than Percy Weasley. Everyone ran out of the staff room as soon as Dumbledore announced the end of the meeting, but unfortunately, Urania wasn't fast enough. She was the last one to leave, along with Minerva, and somehow, Lockhart chose to come after her…

Lockhart : 'I am sorry my dear, I have not had time to introduce myself properly.'

Urania wondered what else he could possibly add, since he had just spent several minutes listing his awards and all the creatures he had fought. He grabbed her hand in his and held it tight.

Lockhart : 'I am Gilderoy Lockhart.' He bowed until his lips found the back of her hand. She could have found that romantic, but coming from Lockhart, she had to restrain from withdrawing her hand.

Urania : 'I am Urania Lindberg.' She nodded her head politely, and was finally able to pull her hand free.

Lockhart : 'It will be my job as from today, to protect you against all dark creatures that would attack this castle.' He had an overly dramatic tone, and Urania repressed a giggle.

Urania : 'Oh, I feel perfectly safe here already. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get my classroom ready for the start of term.'

She didn't leave him time to answer. She actually didn't have anything to prepare. She had already found her classroom exactly as she left it, and therefore, she headed towards the dungeons instead. She knocked on Severus's office door, and entered without waiting for an answer. He seemed surprised to see someone enter without permission, but when he saw her face, he didn't mind anymore.

Urania : 'I think there was a flaw to our plan.' She was a little amused, but he could see that she was mostly serious.

Severus : 'What plan ?' He seemed confused.

Urania : 'The plan that said that keeping our relationship secret would be the best course of action. We forgot one detail.'

Severus : 'And which one is that ?'

Urania : 'Lockhart. I had the distinct impression that he was hitting on me after the meeting.'

To her surprise, Severus started laughing.

Severus : 'I'm sorry, I thought you were with Minerva.'

Urania : 'I was, but he waited until we parted ways, and then came after me. I told him I had to prepare my classroom for the start of term to get away.'

Severus : 'You will need a lot of excuses to get rid of him.'

Urania : 'I think I will have a lot of essays to grade this year ! I just hope he'll get the hint soon enough.'

Severus : 'Somehow I doubt that he would believe someone could reject him.'

Urania sighed, and seemed so helpless that Severus chuckled and hugged her.

Urania : 'You do realize you will have to restrain from punching him if he tries to hit on me again ?'

Severus : 'I will do my best.' He didn't seem to take that seriously at all. He hated Lockhart already, but the idea of Urania struggling to get rid of him was rather funny.

* * *

Soon enough, the start of term came, and students were back at school. Urania sat at her seat at the staff table. She was between Hagrid, who sat at the far right side off Dumbledore's, and Severus, but unfortunately, Severus wasn't there. She wondered where he could possibly be, as the Sorting was about to begin. The thing that worried her most, was that on Severus's other side sat Gilderoy Lockhart, who seemed to enjoy the Potions Master's absence a little too much. He was telling Urania how he fought the Bandon Banshee, and his story, although very well rehearsed, was incredibly faked and boring. Urania was incredibly relieved when Minerva entered the room with the first years. Severus still hadn't showed up, but at least, she could pretend to be really interested into the Sorting, and wasn't forced to listen to Lockhart anymore.

She wasn't truly worried. The other teachers had noticed the empty chair beside her, and didn't seem too shocked about it. But she still was quite curious about why Severus, Head of the Slytherin House, would be missing the Sorting Ceremony, and therefore, she didn't pay much attention to it either. She only noticed a few students. Colin Crivey, who was so small that the hat almost covered his whole head, was sent to Gryffindor. A few moments later, a strange girl named Luna Lovegood caught her attention. She seemed very calm compared to the other students who looked terrified to face the whole room and be sorted. The hat apparently took a long time, but sorted her into Ravenclaw. And finally, she saw a red head she had already seen before : Ginny Weasley. She was the last to go, but didn't seem too nervous. He was almost immediately sent to Gryffindor, and Urania saw Percy and the twins applaud proudly, along with the rest of the house.

Dumbledore gave a few welcoming words, but as usual, saved his long speech for the end of the feast. Urania was surprised to see Filch come and fetch both McGonagall and the Headmaster, and to see them all leave the room. Now she wasn't starting to really worry. Anything that drove them both out of the Great Hall during the start of term feast had to be really urgent. Many students were also intrigued, especially at the Gryffindor table. She tried not to show her worry, though, as a member of the faculty, she had to remain calm in front of the students. She also hid how relieved she was when, several minutes later, all three missing teachers came back to the Great Hall.

Urania : 'What happened ?' She asked as Severus sat next to her.

Severus : 'Potter… He thought it would be a good publicity to come here with his friend in a flying car…' His tone clearly showed how much he hated both boys.

Urania : 'Really ? Why did they do that ?'

Severus : 'Apparently the barrier from King's Cross station did not let them go through…'

Lockhart : 'Oh, that must be my fault ! I allowed him to be photographed with me at Diagon Alley the other day ! Surely he got addicted to publicity, now. Being seen with me must have made him famous now…'

Neither Severus nor Urania saw how Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the young boy who survived a Killing Curse from the Dark Lord himself, could possibly need help from someone like Gilderoy Lockhart to get publicity. The boy was famous without even trying. They let the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher go on about how he should have been more careful about exposing Harry to this _fickle friend celebrity was_, and tried to ignore him while eating their dinner. Severus even started a conversation with Hagrid (which Urania had never seen him do before). Lockhart instead turned to speak to his other unfortunate neighbor, Professor Sinistra, who wasn't pleased at all. Urania was very happy that Lockhart had found another woman to hit on. She was free to leave the Great Hall without finding an excuse to get rid of the man. She had gotten used to being with Severus, both during the previous school year and during the summer, and so, she sneaked to the dungeons.

For her first day, she didn't have a single class in the morning. So, she was rather relaxed at breakfast, until a woman's voice filled the Great Hall. Somebody had received a howler, and it seemed to be the youngest Weasley boy, who had flown to Hogwarts with Potter… She had trouble to keep herself from laughing in front of everyone. Unfortunately, the whole breakfast didn't go so well, and she didn't manage to avoid Lockhart before leaving.

Lockhart : 'Urania ! My dear, I've been meaning to talk to you !'

Urania : 'Professor Lockhart…' She was much too polite, and therefore tried not to sound too annoyed, but she wasn't enthusiastic at all either.

Lockhart : 'Please, please, call me Gilderoy ! I overheard that you were free all morning ?'

_Why ? Why did she tell Severus that, when she knew Lockhart was right next to him ?!_

Urania : 'Well, I don't have any classes to teach, but, I wouldn't say that I'm free…'

Lockhart : 'Oh, do not worry, I do not have much time away from classes myself. I merely wished to show you a few items of mine that you might like to see. I have a very rare crystal ball, a family heirloom, you see, my Grandfather was a very talented Seer. I don't like to talk about it, but I seem to have inherited some of his talent !' He winked at Urania, who found it very hard not to snap at him. 'Anyway, would you please come to my classroom during morning break ? I will show my little collection !'

Urania's mind was racing, but try as she might, she didn't find anything that could get her busy during four hours straight. Besides, he would find other times to invite her, so the morning break was probably the best time.

Urania : 'Very well. I will be there.'

And then, she left without waiting for an answer, and without finding an excuse.

Before the break, she headed towards the Defense Against de Dark Arts classroom. She was early, and therefore, she could hear what was happening inside the classroom. This was obviously a low level class. Lockhart was trying to impress them, by telling them that in his class, nothing could ever hurt them. He then showed creatures, that no student seemed scared of, since the class burst into laughter. However, that happy mood didn't last. Mayhem seemed to have taken over the classroom within a few seconds. Urania wondered if Lockhart controlled the situation or not, and therefore, she didn't dare to enter. As soon as the bell rang, students came running out, with all of their belongings stuffed roughly in their arms. They seemed eager to put as much distance as they could between them and the classroom. When the flow of pupils stopped, Urania gently pushed the door and stole a glance into the classroom. She was shocked to see the classroom so devastated. Cornish pixies were putting everything upside down, and Lockhart was running up the stairs to his office, while only four students remained in the class. She was about to draw her wand and help with the little creatures, when one of them came straight to her hair, that was as usually tied into a very complex bun. Soon, her hair flowed down her back, a few inches below her waist. She finally managed to catch her wand, and immobilize some pixies, and with the help of the second years who were still there, she nipped them back to their cage.

It took a while to take care of the four shocked students. The boy named Neville had fallen from a candelabra. He didn't have any serious injuries, but Urania still ushered the three others to take him to the hospital wing. It was hard for her not to openly criticize her colleague. Not only that he, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, wasn't able to deal with Cornish Pixies, but he left second years alone to do his job. He was lucky Neville was fine, otherwise she would have reported him to Dumbledore immediately. Instead, she stormed to his office, and didn't bother knocking.

Urania : 'What were you thinking leaving children alone with these creatures in your classroom ?'

She spoke with a voice she didn't know she had. She had scolded pupils more than once, she even had a few fights with Severus now and then, and she had of course been angry before in her life, but never had she felt so furious. Lockhart was clearly startled as well. He had never thought he could see her like this, and this wasn't a nice surprise. He took a break from readjusting his curls –not that he had much choice).

Lockhart : 'Oh ! Don't you worry dear ! They are more than capable. When it comes to our youngsters' education, I believe they need to experience real life situations. That's the best way to learn !'

Urania : 'Oh, they sure learnt to run for their lives… Anyway, the break is almost over, and you said you had some things to show me ?'

Lockhart : 'Oh, well, I might have, uh… found an excuse to get you here alone with me.' He flashed her one of his usual smiles, and winked at her. She was tempted to laugh at how ridiculous he was.

Urania : 'And you thought greeting me by running out from a few Pixies and letting your students take care of the chaos in your classroom would impress me ?' She cocked one of her eyebrows, and Lockhart suddenly was out of words.

Urania : 'Well, obviously, it didn't. Now, I'll leave you to rearrange your precious hair, or you would be late for your next class…' She left, leaving a dumbfounded Lockhart behind.

When Severus heard the story, he was even more shocked than Urania had been. Dumbledore refused to give him the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and he understood why, but he was worth a thousand Lockharts… He knew how to deal with Cornish Pixies, among all sorts of creatures, and more importantly, he wasn't stupid enough to set a whole bunch of them free in a classroom. The only good point was that Urania was now completely free. The poor teacher didn't dare talk to her again, from fear that she would divulge everything shesaw. Not that she needed to though, since the story had spread faster then she could have thought thanks to the second years' tales.

* * *

Lockhart was actually remarkably quiet for the next few weeks, to Urania's relief. Professor Sinistra was apparently happy about that too, though she and Urania weren't very close. Everything at Hogwarts was relatively calm until Halloween actually. The Halloween feast was always a very exciting night for both students and teachers. The food was fantastic, and sometimes, even Severus enjoyed the joyous atmosphere, though he never showed it.

This year, the feast was, as always, delicious, but the night didn't end as it usually did. Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, had been found petrified, with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger around. On the nearby wall was written in blood : "The Chamber of Secrets had been opened. Enemies of the heir, beware." This was, of course, a bad thing. Urania had already heard of the Chamber of Secrets, and she didn't know whether or not it was true. The writing on the wall made her think it was… She remained silent while all teachers were gathered in the corridor, trying to figure out what Potter and his friends were doing here. Urania was utterly confused when she reached Severus's room that night.

Urania : 'Do you think the Chamber of Secrets is really open ?' She was snuggled in bed, naked beside him. She needed that contact to feel safe. The idea of the whole story being true was much too frightening.

Severus : 'I hope not…' He seemed tired, but he was still staring blankly at the opposite wall. 'Last time it was, the consequences were disastrous…'

Urania : 'When was that ?'

Severus : 'Years before my time at the school. Although Dumbledore didn't tell me much more. A Muggle-Born student was killed, and the school would have been closed if they hadn't caught the culprit. Although, Dumbledore believes they arrested an innocent person.'

Urania : 'Well if they arrested the wrong person, that would explain why there is still someone left to open the Chamber. But why attack that cat though ? I mean it would probably be a lot of trouble to open that Chamber, wouldn't it ? Who would do that just for a cat ? And why would they just petrify the cat ? Last time, the monster obviously killed its victim. Why not tonight ?'

Severus : 'Mrs. Norris is very important to Mr. Filch, who is a very likely to be a squib, as I've never seen him within ten feet of a wand. Salazar Slytherin wasn't very understanding to squibs either… Whoever did it probably thought it was a good way to tell us danger was coming. It might have been a way to also prevent Mrs. Norris from bothering the culprit when he tried to open the Chamber. As for why the cat wasn't killed, I do not know.'

Things had to be really, really bad if Severus wasn't answering in his usual monosyllabic way.

Urania : 'And I thought after last year, things at Hogwarts would be calm…'

They both sighed, and eventually fell asleep, enjoying each other's company.

Within a few days, students had gotten tired of talking about the chamber. After all, except for the cat and the writings, nothing had happened. Most avoided the corridor where everything had happened though. Not only because of what had happened there, but because Filch was guarding the place and accusing everyone who came around to be the culprit, returning to the scene of the crime.

Everybody was looking forward to the first Quidditch march of the season. Once again, Severus invited Urania to attend with him. She agreed to come as a neutral spectator again. Since the previous year, she actually found Quidditch quite fun. She didn't really like following national or international championships, but the school teams were always fun to watch (when teachers didn't try to murder players). During the game, no teacher seemed harmful. Well Severus did seem like he was ready to hex the Gryffindor team, so as to let Slytherin win, but he always looked like that around Gryffindors anyway… McGonagall was watching Lee Jordan, the commentator, very closely, to keep him from criticizing Slytherin too much. The other Heads of House were watching the game intently, hoping that neither team would get too many points, so that their own still had their chances. Hagrid was there, but he wasn't a teacher, and therefore, he chose to sat among the Gryffindor supporters. Most of the other teachers weren't even there. Lockharts didn't seem to be a big sports fan, but he was there anyway (although many would have wished he weren't). He sat next to the unlucky Sinistra and listed everything single quality he thought he had, and why they would make him a great Quidditch player.

Urania didn't spot any potential player murderer around, so she started to pay attention to the match. The Slytherins didn't seem to have earned the notion of fair play during the summer holidays, but Urania didn't dare comment about Severus's house. Except for several well earned penalties from both side, the game went rather smoothly, until a bludger decided to chase Harry. Bludgers normally attacked whoever was nearby, they didn't go after one single player. Urania couldn't help but wondering how the boy could get so unlucky during Quidditch (and in his whole life for that matter). Impressively, Harry Potter managed to catch the snitch while trying to get rid of the bludger, and Hermione Granger immediately rescued him, by cancelling the charm on the nasty thing. Suddenly, they couldn't see anything. Potter was surrounded by a whole crowd, led by Gilderoy Lockhart who was fussing about the boys arm apparently. Severus seemed to think the boy was in good hands or actually, he didn't care, and so, he left the pitch shortly after shaking hands bitterly with Minerva. Urania came with him. She preferred to stand Severus's foul mood, than risking running into Lockhart. They made it to the dungeons easily, on one was there yet, and they sat down casually on Severus's couch.

Severus : 'That boy is a trouble magnet.' He sighed loudly.

Urania : 'Come on, it's not his fault, who would want to be chased after by a rogue bludger ?'

Severus : 'I did not say he did everything on purpose. But he does have a certain skill to attract trouble. Again, the Quidditch game was a perfect opportunity for whoever's after him. The bludger would have hit him, and no one would have noticed anything, and everybody would have thought it was an accident.'

Urania : 'But who could have tempered with that bludger ? And why did it wait so long until it started going crazy ?'

Severus : 'Again, these are questions I cannot answer.' Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed again.

Urania : 'Alright, you need to relax.'

Without leaving him time to think, she moved to sit behind him, circling him with her legs, and started to loosen the knots from his nape. His mind considered protesting, but his body ruled out that option in a heartbeat. He really did need to relax, and her hands were very skilled. It didn't take long for them to take things to the next level, and soon, they were both lying in bed, naked, sighing contently, and they soon fell asleep.

Urania woke up in the middle of the night, as always. She got up, without waking Severus, and got dressed, as she usually did before sneaking out from the dungeons to her own quarters. She always woke up once or several times during each night, wherever she was, so she took the first occasion to leave before someone had a chance to see her. Only this time, she wasn't very lucky. She opened the door from Severus's quarters, to find Minerva in front of her, ready to knock. Urania suddenly felt awkward, and Minerva seemed very confused.

Minerva : 'Urania ! What are you…' Suddenly, the Transfiguration teacher seemed to put two and two together. 'Oh ! Well, now that you're here, I won't need to get to the Divination tower to fetch you. There has been another attack… On a student this time…' Her tone was grave, but then, she seemed to lighten up a tiny little bit. 'Could you please tell Severus that we are having an emergency meeting ? I believe he will be in a better mood if you're the one who wakes him up.' There was a small smirk on her face. Urania nodded, and did as she was asked as Minerva left, probably to go and fetch another teacher.

The meeting was terrible. A first year muggle-born had been attacked, though he was thankfully just petrified. It was now clear that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened. All teachers were asked to reassure students as much as they could, but fortunately, students didn't ask many questions… Not to Severus or Urania at least… Progressively, the worry and whispers dialed down.

Urania and Severus usually avoided the subject of the Chamber, since all of their questions only led to other questions… During their evenings together, Urania usually calmed Severus, who always seemed to spend dreadful days… only some were worse than others. One night, she was surprised to show up to his quarters before he did. A few minutes after her, he arrived, storming through the door as he usually entered a classroom.

Severus : 'Blasted dunderheads !' He was always in a bad mood after classes, but never this much.

Urania : 'What happened ?'

Severus : 'A student blew up another student's cauldron… I highly suspect Potter to have sent one of Filibuster's fireworks in Goyle's cauldron… I had to hand out antidotes during the whole lesson… On top of that, some rare ingredients have been stolen from my cupboard. Probably to brew Polyjuice Potion.'

Urania : 'Wow ! That IS a bad day… Come here !' She gestured him to come and sit beside her. She wrapped one of her arms around his shoulders in a soothing movement. 'And why do you suspect Potter ?'

Severus : 'He's a terrible actor… He tried to seem innocent, but failed miserably. His know-it-all friend must have gone to my private stores while I was busy… She's probably the only one from that whole class who would actually recognize Boomslang skin from Armadillo bile…'

Urania : 'Second years wouldn't be able to brew Polyjuice Potion !'

Severus : 'This particular second year can swallow and regurgitate books. She never gives me an occasion to criticize her potions…'

Urania laughed at that comment. She didn't really approve of Severus's teaching methods, but he was who he was, and having an annoying student who always did everything perfectly as described in the book had to be hell for him.

Urania : 'You know, most teachers actually appreciate when they don't have to correct a student.' She said with a smirk. She earned a small chuckle from Severus. She always managed to calm him down without effort.

* * *

The end of the term turned out to be quite awful for everyone. First, Potter discovered in front of the whole school that he was a Parselmouth, which was very bad news indeed… Everyone seemed to think he was the heir of Slytherin, and that his next victim would be a boy named Justin Fitch-Fletchley, who happened to get attacked the very next day… People weren't really worried about poor Justin being petrified in the hospital wing. Most people were just whispering about Potter, or running away if he came too close. But what bothered Urania the most were her card drawings. It was a routine for her to draw cards once a day. But strangely, before every attack, the very last card she had drawn had been a snake. She didn't pay much attention avec the attack on Mrs Norris, and she still thought it might be a coincidence after Colin's, but three times were just too much. So, she decided to talk to Severus about it.

Severus : 'This could still be a coincidence.'

Urania : 'Of course it could, but you have to admit it's a little strange.'

Severus shrugged. He never really cared for Divination. Urania herself admitted it was a very imprecise branch of magic, and he didn't care much for guessing.

Urania : 'Every time, the _last_ card turned out to be a snake ! It has to mean something.'

Severus : 'What are your interpretations ?'

Urania : 'Well obviously, we can easily associate the snake to Salazar Slytherin, and therefore, to the Chamber of Secrets, which would make the most sense. But then, it could also be referring to any Slytherin in the school, even you. And with Potter being a Parselmouth, it could also refer to him…'

Severus : 'The first seems more likely to me.'

Urania : 'Me too, but I don't know, I feel like I'm missing something… This interpretations seems almost too obvious.'

Severus : 'And what were the other cards you drew ?'

Urania : 'They don't seem to make sense with the snakes. It's like I get two separate drawings…'

Severus : 'Perhaps you should mention this to Dumbledore.'

Urania : 'I don't really want to bother him with that. It's just a hunch I have, it's not like I have any kind of evidence. And he's not a big fan of Divination…'

Severus : 'Then, wait and see what happens.'

Urania : 'Yeah, I guess time will help me sort this out…'

As a result to Justin's attack, the castle was emptier than ever during the Christmas holidays, which all teachers were glad for. The small amount of students allowed them more free time. Urania loved when she didn't need to sneak in and out of Severus's room. And she also had time to talk to Minerva about their relationship. As much as she liked their hidden relationship, she had to admit she really preferred when she had a friend to talk to. Severus was a little embarrassed, but he knew that Minerva wouldn't be gossiping around the castle. After all, she had known for quite a while now, and not a word had spread through the castle.

The highpoint of Severus's holiday was Christmas day. However, it had nothing to do with Christmas at all. That day, he found out Hermione Granger had mysteriously found herself with a fury face, and apparently, a tail… Surprisingly, Severus wasn't the tiniest bit angry. In fact, he truly laughed when he found out.

Urania : 'What's so funny ?'

Severus : 'Miss Granger seems to have had a little problem with Polyjuice Potion. She is currently in the hospital wing, half transformed into a cat…' He did his best not to chuckle at the thought of his unfortunately best student covered with fur.

Urania : 'And you find that funny ?' She asked with a grin.

Severus : 'So do you apparently.'

Urania : 'Well it IS funny, but I would have expected _you_ to be pissed. How many detentions did you give her ?'

Severus : 'I didn't. The girl is already suffering punishment, isn't she ?'

Urania : 'You must be joking. You can prove that she's the one who stole ingredients from your stores, and you're not going to do anything ?'

Severus : 'Maybe I'm getting soft.'

Urania frowned at that. He was nice with her, but with her only. Finally, realization hit her.

rania : 'Oh ! Or maybe you don't want to admit that you know, because even if you would be allowed to give her month's worth of detention, you would also have to admit that she did a good job brewing the potion in the first place.'

The look Severus gave her told her how right she was, and she grinned.

* * *

The holidays eventually ended, and classes started again. The heir of Slytherin seemed rather calm, and nothing special happened until THAT day… February the 14th… Severus didn't care much about Valentine's day, and to be honest, neither did Urania. She had a small gift prepared for Severus, but she didn't plan on making a big deal of that day. Needless to say she was as disgusted as her colleagues to see the decoration in the Great Hall. There was pink everywhere. Confetti, balloons, and all sorts of heart shaped decorations were clouding her vision of the Head Table. But as she made her way to her seat, she could finally see her colleagues. Dumbledore was quite stoic probably to be polite, but no one else bothered. McGonagall was obviously trying her best not to run out, and Severus was glancing at Lockhart, with a murderous expression on his face. Lockhart on the other hand was beaming, and wearing a horrible pink outfit.

The whole day was awful. Everywhere she went, Urania saw or heard Valentine's day cupids. The songs were ridiculous and embarrassed whoever they were destined to. During classes, most girls seemed to see love omens everywhere, and seemed most upset when Urania told them they might be wrong with their predictions. But the worst thing was that Lockhart seemed to have regained confidence and was now more certain than ever that Urania was attracted to him… He sent her a card, which she magically vanished. He sent a singing gnome to her classroom, fortunately during one of her free periods, to sing the most ridiculous song she had heard all day. And on top of that, he took every occasion to be alone with her, and Urania was now desperately running out of excuses to get rid of him. When Sinistra entered the teachers' room panting and locked the door behind her, Urania noticed that she wasn't his only target…

Sinistra : 'Ugh…' was all she could express. She was leaning against the door, as if she still wanted to make sure Lockhart didn't enter.

Minerva : 'Is something wrong ?'

Sinistra : 'I have been trying to run away from Lockhart the whole day…' With that, she left the door and joined her two colleagues.

Urania : 'Well, I'm glad to know someone shares my misery. I have never hated Valentine's day so much.'

Sinistra : 'That man is impossible… I literally told him I wasn't interested, but he keeps thinking I'm being shy, and that I will eventually fall for him if he is persistent enough…'

Urania : 'That's what frightens me… His ego doesn't even consider rejection. I don't know how we can fight that.'

Minerva : 'Perhaps you could pretend to be in a relationship…' She said, casting a mischievous glance to Urania, who chose not to pay attention.

Sinistra : 'Then, we would need to find two men who would be willing to go along with that…'

Urania : 'Besides, I don't think it would stop him… It would just give him a challenge.'

Minerva : 'I have never mentioned pretending to be dating _men_.'

Urania : 'What ? No, you can't possibly mean…'

Sinistra : 'Tell me you're joking.'

Minerva : 'Well, it would certainly unsettle him, wouldn't it ? He would probably leave you alone if he thought you were a couple.'

The younger women were both astonished about their colleague's suggestion, but it seemed to be a good idea.

Therefore, right after dinner, Urania and Aurora both left the Great Hall before anyone else, and were completely aware that Lockhart came following them. They remained within sight of whoever wished to leave the room, and when they began to hear Lockhart's footsteps, they started acting "as a couple". They were facing each other, standing extremely close to each other, smiling and hugging. When they heard Lockhart's horrified gasp, they shared a small kiss.

Urania : 'Will you join me later tonight ?'

Sinistra : 'Of course.'

Then, they both went their own ways. They were still smiling, but for different reasons. For Lockhart's reaction, they were sure he was shocked, and that thought made up for the horrible day they had had.

Urania was still in a hurry to get to Severus's room though. After spending a whole day surrounded by pink, she was looking forward to the cold dungeons. She couldn't have been more surprised as she walked through the door. In the middle of the room was a small round table with candles, and a some drinks. The usually dark, gloomy room was now harboring a very soft, dim light, but thankfully, nothing was pink.

Urania walked in, and got closer to the table. Severus wasn't here yet, as he left the Great Hall after her. She found a white rose laying on the table. She lifted the flower lightly, and closed her eyes as she smelled the delicate perfume, while her lips slowly stretched into a smile. At that precise second, she felt two strong arms encircle her waist, and soft lips come in contact with her neck, and she couldn't help the little moan that escaped her lips.

Urania : 'I didn't know you were such a romantic.'

Severus : 'I have never had such an occasion to celebrate Valentine's day. And I will let you know that I can appreciate a romantic setting as long as there is no pink involved.'

They had a wonderful time, except for the fact that Severus was pretty sure that some students had also seen both women's demonstration. Severus had of course been warned before the whole "incident", and he found the plan quite funny (especially considering it originated from Minerva).

After a while, Urania decided it would be time for her to give Severus his present. She summoned it graciously with her wand and gave it to him.

Severus : 'What is it ?'

Urania : 'You are aware that all you have to do to find out is open it ?'

Severus complied. He found a book. But it wasn't just any book. It was one of the many books he needed to complete a huge collection.

Severus : 'Where did you find this ?'

Urania : 'Well, a book shop of course. I was lucky enough to stumble across it actually.'

Severus : 'Well… I have been lucky as well.' He got up, and went to get his own present for Urania in his bedroom. The box was huge, and wrapped in such an extravagant way that it couldn't have been Severus's idea. Urania opened it, trying to hide her childish grin. She was absolutely amazed by what she got. Severus got her a wonderfully decorated set of seven crystal balls of different sizes. She took one, and started examining every detail of it. The balls themselves were regular, but they were held by beautifully sculpted and painted ornaments.

Urania : 'Wow ! That's amazing. It must have cost you of fortune ! How did you get this ?'

Severus : 'As I said, I was lucky. I found them weeks ago, without even searching for a present. I thought you might like them.'

Urania : 'Might like them ? I absolutely love them ! Well, those are definitely not going to be used in class.'

She was still watching one of the balls closely, turning it slowly into her hands. Severus gently took the ball from her hands, and put it back in its secure box, before, taking Urania in his arms, and giving her a passionate kiss, to which she responded greedily. She never would have thought Severus would have celebrated Valentine's day, let alone find her a present. She highly suspected he did all this just in an attempt to please her. She wouldn't have cared if he hadn't planned anything, but she had to admit this was a very, very pleasant surprise, and for one night, she forgot about petrifying monsters, and Chambers of Secrets.

* * *

For several weeks, the heir of Slytherin actually seemed to have disappeared. And Lockhart was indeed taken aback to find out Urania and Aurora's "secret", which wasn't a secret for a very long time, since the rumor spread through the whole school the next morning. Eventually, the rumors faded and the school could almost have seemed absolutely normal. Teachers didn't spend all their time talking about protecting students from Slytherin's monster anymore, which was a relief to most of them.

Minerva : 'Are you sure you wish to bet Pomona ?'

Pomona : 'I am telling you, my team is very, very well trained today. I'm fairly confident that they will beat yours.'

Minerva : 'Well, if you say so… I will take your bet. Oliver Wood has really set a very efficient training program this year. I must say that the Gryffondor team is very motivated.'

As both Heads of House discussed the game that was going to take place later that afternoon, Urania was silently drawing cards, and Severus was reading, and obviously resisting the urge to tell both women how his team was superior anyway. Filius was also reading, but he didn't pay attention to Quidditch talks.

The subject moved from quidditch to other light subjects, and the chatter that filled the room was almost refreshing, until…

Urania : 'Oh sweet Merlin…' she whispered, staring down at her cards, gently touching the one on the far right with the tip of her fingers. All the teachers in the room turned to look at her.

Urania : 'I… I think there's going to be another attack…'

Minerva : 'What ? Why would you think such a thing ?' There was slight panic in the teacher's voice. She didn't really like Divination, and had the prediction come from Trelawney, she would have completely ignored it, but Urania didn't make up fake predictions, just to frighten people.

Urania : 'I have no proof it's just that… well every time there has been an attack, the very last card I drew was the Snake. Three times ! I didn't know what to think of it, but… Well, now I just picked the snake as my last card, and I'm afraid it might be a warning.'

Everyone was staring. Minerva nodded. She didn't know what think, let alone what to do.

Severus : 'We should probably search the castle, if only to be safe.'

Minerva : 'Of course… Well, let's spread out, and see if anything unusual is going on. Use a patronus if you find anything.'

Urania couldn't believe her eyes. She thought everyone would tell her she was wrong, that Divination was too imprecise to get to such conclusions, but they didn't. They seemed to trust her, or at least, to be willing to try. For the first time, she felt supported. Not that Hogwarts teachers weren't welcoming before, but never had she been listened to and trusted about her predictions that way before. Urania hoped she was wrong though… She never wanted to be right when she predicted dramas. But unfortunately, this time, she was, as Minerva's patronus informed her, telling her to come straight to the hospital wing. Dumbledore had now joined his colleagues.

Minerva : 'It was a double attack… Two girls were petrified in the library, with a mirror next to them.'

Severus : 'Who are they ?'

Minerva : 'Penelope Clearwater and Hermione Granger…'

Pomona : 'Both Muggle-borns as well ?'

Minerva : 'Miss Granger is.'

Filius : 'Miss Clearwater is a half-blood.'

Dumbledore : 'We must set new security rules. We will all escort students to all classes. We will need to work out a system to make sure never to leave anybody alone in corridors. We must also cancel all Quidditch matches and trainings, as well as evening activities.' The Headmaster was shocked, but he managed to turn to Urania and give her a sincere smile. 'Urania, how fortunate that you would warn us all.'

Urania : 'It didn't do any good, did it ? We couldn't prevent anything from happening…'

Dumbledore : 'We were at least able to find them soon, and to put the other students to safety, thanks to you my dear.'

Urania wasn't really convinced, but she nodded slightly.

From this day, children were back to being scared of their owns shadows in the corridors. Teachers had to patrol twice as much as they used to, and they had to escort all students to their classes.

* * *

Several days later, it was a huge surprise for Urania to draw another snake with her cards. Only this time, all the other cards inspired her danger… She immediately found Dumbledore, but she was too late again… A girl had been taken by the monster, into the chamber. She didn't really know her, but she had had several of her brothers, the Weasleys in class already. It was a tragedy to all teachers. Even Severus was shocked, even if he didn't show much emotion. The girl was a Gryffindor, and he wasn't very fond of some of her brothers, but she was still an innocent first year whom he, among the other teachers, had failed to protect.

The worse thing was that there was nothing they could do. Whatever Lockhart said, no one knew where the chamber was. So all staff were left organizing the remaining students imminent departure, until they found out that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and, surprisingly Gilderoy Lockhart had found the Chamber, rescued the girl, and killed the monster. Everyone came back safe, except for Lockhart… As Urania helped Severus and Poppy to give all the petrified students their antidote, she was unlucky enough to be addressed to by the unfortunate professor…

Lockhart : 'Oh, dear, you are such a beautiful woman. It would be too optimistic to think that you could be my wife, wouldn't it ? Simply my girlfriend perhaps ? Oh, please do not be my sister…'

Urania : 'I am neither, and I do not wish to be related to you in any way…' She realized she was a little rude, but even obliviated, he was a very annoying man. So, she left the vicinity of his bed, and made sure she didn't approach him, until he was taken to St Mungo's.

Pretty soon all petrified students were up, and the whole school was celebrating the good news, and end-of-year exams were canceled, meaning teachers did not have papers to grade, and children were sent home sooner than usual.

This year, Severus didn't even bother returning to Spinner's End, and came home with Urania directly. They didn't discuss of the Chamber much. This year, it wasn't really an attempt from Voldemort himself to come back to power, and it made a huge difference with the previous one.

The day after the students left, Severus and Urania packed, and made their way to the gates to apparate to her home.

Urania : 'So, where do you think You-Know-Who will hide next year ?' She asked with a smile.

Severus : 'This is not something to joke about…' He admonished, although he was slightly smirking.

Urania : 'I know, but well. Last year, he was sharing one of our colleagues' body, and this year, it was a diary. Somehow I doubt that next year is going to be a normal one.'

Severus : 'The past several years have indeed been rather eventful. But unlike you, I don't enjoy predicting the future. Let's enjoy our summer while we can. Next year will probably come too soon anyway.'

They eventually apparated, ready for a whole summer away from school.

* * *

Here it is :) Reviews are always welcome ! I expect the next chapter to be shorter, but I haven't started yet, so I can't be really sure. I'll probably get at it soon, but I can't tell when I'll be able to update. Anyway, hope you like this chapter !


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